Red Giselle is inspired by the story of Olga Spessivtseva, a famous Russian ballerina who portrayed Giselle in the original ballet many times. The story, which begins in revolutionary Petrograd, follows “the Ballerina” as she is introduced to the world of the Russian revolutionaries and caught between her art and the power of the Communists,
who want to use artists as instruments for spreading their red ideology. The Ballerina flees to Paris and reprises her role of Giselle in the famous story ballet while also dealing with unrequited love, mental illness, and ghosts from her past. Boris Eifman’s extraordinary, expressive choreography and inexhaustible imagination paired with opulent sets and costumes bring this tragic tale to life.